Samsung 500 News and Notes

Samsung 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The stars at night, are big and bright (clap, clap, clap, clap), Deep in the Heart of TEXAS!

Everything is big in Texas and there is no better example than the crowds that show up for each of the two NASCAR Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway. To keep things forever “BIG” at the 1.5 mile high banked track, the track has made additions to the seating capacity over the last 11 seasons to its current status which now allows for 212,000 people. Only the Brickyard seats more than Texas among all current Cup tracks.

The Texans have always been kind to the rest of the nation in sharing their excesses from being so BIG hearted and generous. Offerings such as BBQ, steaks, and the Cowboy have become a symbol of Americana that is America alone. Texas is exactly what NASCAR is all about. So cheers to you Texas, and a BIG thanks for Buddy Holly, Willie Nelson, and the Labonte brothers.

Now, lets get to breaking down this race. A measure that has served well over the years when attempting to get a head start on who should do well on the type of tracks like Texas is to look at past races on the SMI sister tracks of Atlanta and Charlotte, while also using a little hint of Las Vegas in the mix. We have seen a race run at Las Vegas and Atlanta this year with several teams have similar success as well as other having equal difficulties at both tracks. Because this is the first season of the new car being run on these type of tracks, we can basically throw away last seasons data from the four SMI sister tracks. The only thing to go until they run the final practice session on Saturday is the results of Vegas and Atlanta.

If we were to go exclusively by what happened last season, it would be Jimmie Johnson with odds of 3 to 1 or less because he dominated on every one of those tracks. However, that car used last season is in a museum somewhere and Johnson must get along with his new car and so far the relationship between his new car and the high banked intermediate tracks is a off to a rocky start. Las Vegas is a track that Johnson had won three in a row with his old chassis. In the new car Johnson finished 29th. In Atlanta, Johnson swept the 2007 season but could only muster a 13th this season, and he really wasn’t even that good.

Because of Johnson’s slide and troubles with his new car on these tracks, he has been installed with odds of 10 to 1. Odds like that are normally reserved for Johnson only on tracks like Bristol and the road courses. Other those four races a season, Johnson is pretty much a single digit odds to win selection on all other tracks since his rookie year.

So, here we go again looking for someone other than Johnson to win. The list of candidates to win is pretty large, but based on the two high banked tracks run on already we can narrow it down to a select few.

The first candidate is Kyle Busch who sat on the pole at Vegas but finished weak, but respectable in 11th. The following week in Atlanta the No. 18 Joe Gibbs team put it all together and took the checkers. Busch’s teammate, Tony Stewart, was involved in an accident at Vegas but came in tow of Busch in Atlanta with a second place finish.

Only two drivers can claim to have finished in the Top 5 at both Las Vegas and Atlanta this season. Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr had similarly great runs in both races. Carl Edwards won at Vegas, but blew an engine with the Roush-Fenway horsepower in Atlanta. Biffle’s team was able to keep things in line and run well at both.

A surprise omission from the upper-echelon of finishers at both Las Vegas and Atlanta was Matt Kenseth. Kenseth was running well at Vegas and then got tangled up with Jeff Gordon near the end of the race to end his day. In Atlanta, Kenseth was very mediocre which is very uncharacteristic for him on high banked intermediate tracks. Kenseth has traditionally been Jack Roush’s driver 1-A, but now appears to be just above Jamie McMurray and just below Biffle and Edwards.

Amid all the speculation that Hendrick is struggling with the new car on these type of tracks, Junior is proving to obviously have something else than his teammates. His second at Vegas and third at Atlanta move him to the front and make him a co-favorite to win the race with Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. The last time Junior won at Texas, it was his first Cup win ever. The memories of his proud father running to him after he won remain one of Junior’s most cherished moments. I’d like to hear him talk more about that moment in the winners circle.

There's a yellow rose in TEXAS, that I am going to see,
Nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me.

Top 5 Finish Prediction:

#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (7/1)
#99 Carl Edwards (7/1)
#16 Greg Biffle (12/1)
#20 Tony Stewart (9/1)
#18 Kyle Busch (7/1)

Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Goody's Cool Orange 500 Edition
Mike Lovecchio

In this short season, Denny Hamlin has asserted himself as one of the stronger drivers on short tracks. After nearly winning at Bristol two weeks ago before a fuel pickup problem relegated him to a sixth place finish in the closing laps, Hamlin made his way to Victory Lane at his home track this weekend, earning his first and Joe Gibbs Racing’s second win of the year.

With back-to-back Top 10 finishes, Hamlin claims a spot on this week’s HOT list alongside JGR teammate Tony Stewart; but who else is deserving of the recognition? On the flip side, Michael McDowell had an impressive first two-thirds of the race, but received some criticism after the event for racing the leaders too hard in the closing laps. Where does the rookie fall after his debut start? Was he wrong or right?

Check out this week’s edition of Who’s Hot / Who’s Not in Sprint Cup to find out.

HOT

Jeff Burton: Burton may have made some noise off the track this weekend with some harsh comments for rookie Michael McDowell, but he has been making his share of noise on the track, as well. With points leader Kyle Busch running into problems, Burton’s 3rd place finish propelled him to the top of the standings for the first time since 2006. The Virginian won two weeks ago in Bristol, and has recorded four consecutive Top 10s. In fact, his worst finish in the first six races is an impressive 13th; and have I mentioned he’s the defending winner of the Spring race at Texas?

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt was arguably the fastest car this weekend in Martinsville, but faded late and was forced to settle for sixth. Still, Junior has been so strong this season that this week’s finish is actually his worst since race two at California, his only non-Top 10 of the year. Not even Junior Nation could have predicted this type of early success for the sport’s Most Popular Driver.

Jeff Gordon: Much has been said of Hendrick Motorsports’ lack of dominance this year, but Gordon is quietly having a very good season. There was the suspension failure at Daytona and the accident at Las Vegas, but in his other four races he has three Top 10s and one 11th place finish. His second place at Martinsville pushed him back into the Top 12 in points; he’s now up to ninth in the standings.

Denny Hamlin: After finishing 17th and 41st in his first two events, Hamlin has bounced back with three Top 10s in his next four races, with a worst finish of 15th over that span. He could have won two weeks ago in Bristol, if not for the fuel problem, and won this weekend to complete a move from 31st to 8th in points in the past four weeks.

Kevin Harvick: Like his Richard Childress Racing teammate, Harvick has had a very successful first part of the season. In six races, his worst finish is 14th, and prior to his 12th place run this weekend in Virginia, he had recorded four consecutive Top 10s. Harvick’s points position has gradually improved in the process, from 13th to 2nd since the Daytona 500.

Tony Stewart: He may have had shorter hair and a waxed back, but it was the same ol’ Tony Stewart this weekend. Stewart was on the verge of at least a Top 3 at Bristol two weeks ago, but was taken out by Harvick in the closing laps before finishing fifth this week. Take away an accident at Las Vegas, and Stewart has four Top 10s in his other five races, with his worst run coming at that Bristol event, where he wound up 14th.

ALSO: Greg Biffle – 3rd, 4th, and 4th place finishes prior to 20th place run in Martinsville; 3rd in points.

WARM

Clint Bowyer: Bowyer is very close to, and can arguably be on the HOT list this week. With three consecutive Top 10s, he has moved from 24th in points to 12th, but is still not as strong as his RCR teammates quite yet.

David Ragan: Since finishing 42nd at Daytona, Ragan has been consistent, not finishing outside of the Top 25 since. An 11th place run this week is just what the sophomore driver needs to build confidence to match the good equipment he seems to be in each week.

Mike Skinner: Sure, he has yet to finish better than 27th this year, but Skinner continues to qualify for races with cars that are outside of the Top 35. He may be back in Cup serving as a mentor for A.J. Allmendinger, but can someone give this guy a full-time ride?

COOL

The Busch Brothers: In addition to Kurt taking baby brother out on Lap 21, it was another rough day for the Busch brothers. Perhaps it was a result of the spin, but later in the race Kyle had to go behind the wall with transmission problems that resulted in a 38th place finish, while Kurt had a rough day, finishing 33rd.

That led to some damage in the points for both. Kyle had led the standings since race two, but now falls to fifth after his run this week and a 17th place finish two weeks ago at Bristol. After such a strong start, there are suddenly a lot of expectations for Kyle to live up to moving forward.

For Kurt, a second in the season opening Daytona 500 has been one of the few bright spots for the No. 2 team. Solid finishes of 11th and 12th at Atlanta and Bristol and 13th at California are the consistent finishes the team needs, but one Top 10 and finishes of 38th at Las Vegas and 33rd this weekend have dropped the team to 16th in points.

Ryan Newman: After starting the season with a win and a 10th place finish in the first two races, Newman has yet to finish in the Top 10 since. Two 14th place runs are solid, but after a 33rd at Bristol and 19th this week, a good run at Texas couldn’t hurt.

COLD

Reed Sorenson: The 22-year-old opened a lot of eyes with an impressive month at Daytona, but it’s been all downhill from there. In his five races since, Sorenson has finished worse than 30th four times, with his best finish (18th) coming at Las Vegas.

Sam Hornish, Jr.: The hard fight for teams to stay inside the Top 35 just got harder for Hornish, who now must qualify on time next week at Texas. With a season-best finish of 15th coming at Daytona, the rookie’s next best finish is 25th. He’s been consistently around that mark with finishes of 29th and 28th in his past two races, but a 43rd at California and a 41st at Las Vegas hurt this team’s bubble chances early on.

Michael McDowell: Poor Michael… the rookie in his first ever Sprint Cup race was having an excellent run for much of the day, cracking the Top 20 and staying on the lead lap. That good day went bad very quickly late in the going, however, when a number of impatient cars on the lead lap got upset with the young driver and decided to teach the kid a lesson. A pinball in the closing laps, McDowell had to pit with a flat tire and finished 26th.

His performance on the track for the first two-thirds of the race was impressive, but the end is what lands him in the COLD list. It is important for a rookie to earn the respect of your veteran peers; if, in your first race you already upset the series’ top drivers, it’s a bad start. The kid has a lot of talent, but needs to race the guys who have already earned respect with respect. That doesn’t mean he should back down, though … it’s a thin line he needs to learn to balance, and I’m sure he’ll figure it out.

frontstretch.com

RacingOne Power Rankings
RacingOne.com

Jeff Burton took over the top spot in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and in RacingOne's weekly power rankings as the series heads to Texas Motor Speedway. RacingOne's rankings are based on a combination of season-to-date loop data, season standings and staff selections by Jeff Wackerlin and Rachael West.

1. Jeff Burton: Although he might be upset at rookie Michael McDowell following Martinsville, Burton has to be happy about leading the Sprint Cup Series points and Power Rankings. Burton's third-place finish in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 lowered his season finishing average to 7.3, which is the best among all drivers. Both Burton and his teammate Kevin Harvick are the only drivers to have completed all 2,048 laps in 2008. This weekend Burton will look to maintain the momentum at Texas where he is the defending Samsung 500 winner.

Last Week's Rank: Third

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick averaged a running position of 17.6 en route to his 12th-place finish at Martinsville. The finish, which was his sixth top 15 of the season, moved him up one position in the point standings to second. In the past four races at Texas, Harvick has finished in the top 10 in three of them. Harvick has adorned the Texas Cowboy Hat in victory lane an atonishing four times in the Nationwide Series, but has yet to fire the guns off in the Cup series.

Last Week's Rank: First

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Earnhardt Jr. jumped up to the third spot in the Rankings after leading the most laps (146) and posting the best average running position (4.4) at Martinsville. Earnhardt Jr's sixth-place finish in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 was his series' leading fifth top 10 of the season. This weekend Junior will look to claim his second career win at Texas, which is where his sponsorship plans with AMP and the National Guard were unveiled last year.

Last Week's Rank: Sixth

4. Tony Stewart: Stewart completed the most quality passes (passing a car running in the Top 15 while under a green flag), with 45, on his way to finishing fifth at Martinsville. The finish, which was his seventh top five at the .526-mile track, boosted him one position in both the Rankings and the standings. Stewart has been one of the best drivers at Texas over the last six races leading a number of Loop Data categories including average running position, driver rating and laps in the top 15.

Last Week's Rank: Fifth

5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon was able to rally back from a crash early on in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 to finish second. The runner-up performance was his 19th top five at Martinsville. Gordon also led 90 laps in Sunday's race and ran the most fastest laps at 78. In the last six races at Texas, Gordon has led 194 laps and has posted an average finish of 11.8.

Last Week's Rank: Ninth

6. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin made up for a mid-race mistake, when he made an unscheduled pit stop, by winning the Goody's Cool Orange 500. The win was Hamlin's first in his homestate of Virginia. Hamlin held an average running position of 7.1 and led the last 73 laps in the 500-mile race. Prior to his 29th-place finish last fall, Hamlin had finished in the top 10 in his first four starts at Texas Motor Speedway.

Last Week's Rank: 11th

7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer's 10th-place finish at Martinsville was his second consecutive top 10 at the track. This season Bowyer is among the top 10 drivers that have completed the most laps while running in the top 15. This weekend, Bowyer looks to post his first top 10 at Texas since finishing fifth in the 2006 fall race.

Last Week's Rank: Seventh

8. Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch is slipping down the rankings after posting a 38th-place finish at Martinsville this past Sunday. He started eighth, but suffered mechanical failure and only completed 443 laps. Look for him to rebound though at TMS, since it's a similar track to Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he won Toyota's first ever race a few weeks ago. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Busch posted two fourth-place finishes in his last three TMS starts, both in the fall event.

Last Week's Rank: Second

9. Greg Biffle: Greg Biffle had a mediocre weekend at Martinsville, starting 19th and finishing one position lower (20th). He is a past winner at TMS, but besides one other top-10 finish, hasn't had much success at the track. Half of his races there have ended in DNFs and he has a 24.5 average finish as a result.

Last Week's Rank: Fourth

10. Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie Johnson showed some of his 2007 glory this weekend in Martinsville with his fourth-place finish. It was only his second top five or top 10 finish of 2008. In his nine starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Johnson has finished 11th or better in eight of them, with four in the top five. He won the fall race there last year. His only other finish at the track was 38th in the spring last year, as a result of a crash. Johnson has the second best driver rating* heading into the weekend.

Last Week's Rank: 15th

11. Carl Edwards: Carl Edwards moved up two spots in the rankings and in the point standings as he tries to make up the ground still from his 100-point penalty. He is a past winner at TMS, having won there in the fall of 2005. That was his only finish within the top 10. He posted his second best finish there, of 12th, in this event last year. He has the 10th-best pre-race driver rating heading into Sunday's Samsung 500.

Last Week's Rank: 13th

12. Kasey Kahne: Kasey Kahne dropped a bit in the power rankings this weekend after he only managed a 17th-place finish from a sixth-place starting spot Sunday at Martinsville. Texas may not be the track that keeps him in the power rankings, or with a strong spot in the points. Kahne won this event at Texas in 2006 from the pole, but has only posted one other finish of 17th or better at the track: second in his debut there in 2004. Since his win, Kahne has finished 33rd, 20th and 18th, respectively.

Last Week's Rank: Eighth

13. Jamie McMurray: Jamie McMurray made us take notice this season and broke in the RacingOne power rankings for the first time with an eighth-place finish at Martinsville. He was the highest finishing Ford after running all but one lap of the 500-lap race within the top 15. Last season, McMurray posted his fourth and fifth top-10 finishes at TMS, with a fifth-place finish in this event and a ninth-place in the fall.

Last Week's Rank: N/R

14. Casey Mears: Casey Mears finally finished in the top 10 this season with a seventh-place finish at Martinsville from the 39th starting position. Hopefully, some of that success will follow him to Texas this weekend, where he struggled last year in his first year with Hendrick. In this event last year, Mears finished 23rd, and in the fall finished 31st. Prior to that, Mears posted four top-10 finishes in six starts with Chip Ganassi.

Last Week's Rank: N/R

15. Matt Kenseth: Matt Kenseth struggled at Martinsville, limping to a 30th-place finish, the worst of the Roush teammates. He fell out of top 12 in points, but now heads to a track where he's excelled in recent years. He won there in 2002 and four of his last five finishes there have been third or better. Last year, he narrowly missed the win in this event when Jeff Burton passed him on the lead lap and Kenseth settled for second place. He also finished second in the fall.

Last Week's Rank: 10th

McCumbee in for Petty
Racingone.com

One week after not making the field at Martinsville Speedway, Kyle Petty will again be missing when the Sprint Cup Series visits Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.

But Petty Enteperises is hoping its No. 45 ride won't join Kyle.

Petty will step out of the Petty Enterprises No. 45 Dodge this weekend in favor of young Chad McCumbee who will try to get the team a spot in the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

After falling out the Top 35 and losing his guaranteed starting spot, Petty just missed qualifying his way into last Sunday's Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville.

So PE will look to McCumbee in Texas and hope for a better turn of events in the Lone Star State.

“Chad McCumbee is going to step into the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge this weekend at Texas," Petty announced. "Texas is a good track for him. He had a strong run going in the truck race there last year. At Pocono, he did a great job filling in for me when I went into the booth."

McCumbee, who has been running the Craftsman Truck Series this year, did jump into the Petty ride last summer for six races while Kyle fulfilled his TNT broadcasting duties.

The young driver has impressed many in the NASCAR garage and looks to be the future driver being groomed for PE.

"Everyone at Petty Enterprises believes in Chad and his abilities," Petty said. "Texas gives us a chance to get another good look at Chad without throwing him to the wolves. He should be relaxed because he knows he can get the job done there.”

McCumbee is currently 13th in the Craftsman Truck Series point standings. He has had a strong start to 2008, finishing seventh in the season opener at Daytona and securing a fifth-place finish in Atlanta.

The 23-year-old driver won an ARCA event last June at Pocono Raceway on the same weekend that he made his Sprint Cup Series debut in the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge.

In the Truck race at Texas Motor Speedway last fall, McCumbee started second and led four laps but finished 13th after an accident forced him out of the race.

“I feel comfortable around the No. 45 team," McCumbee said. "(Crew chief) Billy Wilburn and I work well together. We had a great race last year at Pocono. I’m hoping for more of the same this weekend. Kyle is going to be there, giving me advice and pointers. That means a lot to me. I’ve learned a lot from him already.”

“I’m anxious to do my part to help this team. We’re planning on going to Kentucky Speedway on Wednesday for a test. Just to help me get used to the new car. The two races last year were in the old car, so there will be a little bit of an adjustment period there. I don’t have a lot of experience in the old car either, so maybe that will be a positive.”

Samsung 500 PreQ

After six races with a new crew chief after racing his entire career with Robbie Reiser on the pit box Matt Kenseth is off to a bit of a slow start. He is currently in the 15th position in the point standings with three top 10s on the year. Two of those top 10s were posted on the high-banked superspeedways such as Texas Motor Speedway where the series will be heading to next. Kenseth is a big fan of Texas posting a pair of runner-up finishes last season with a career average finish of 10th place (11 starts) including a win in 2002. Kenseth is looking to get back into the top 12 in the point standings after a long day at Martinsville. Expect him to redeem himself in the Samsung 500.

Joe Gibbs Racing got their second win of the season at Martinsville when Denny Hamlin took the checkers. That has to get Tony Stewart a little peeved as he has seen both of his teammates, Hamlin and Kyle Busch, sitting in victory lane this season while he has yet to make the trip. Stewart could make it two in a row for Gibbs and get his first win of the season at Texas. He has been inconsistent at the track, however, posting a win and seven top 10s in 12 career starts with four of the other five finishes coming outside the top 20. He will be hungry after seeing both Busch and Hamlin get wins this season and it will not be long before he gets into victory lane himself.

Martin Truex Jr. has gotten have to a solid start this season but he has not been as competitive has he had hoped. Truex’s poorest finish of the season has been 21st place (Atlanta and Martinsville) but he has just one top 10 as he sits 13th in the point standings. Truex is looking to make an impact by running up front with the ‘big boys’ and Texas is a track where he has excelled in his young career. In five starts he has finished all five events in the top 15 with a pair of top 10s last season for an average finish of 9th place. Truex would love to grab a win early in the season to prove he is Chase worthy and this is a track that fits his driving style.

In his sophomore season David Ragan is making a statement three finishes in the 15 and ranks in the top 20 in the point standings. It is a big turnaround from last season in which Ragan started the season with a 5th place run but had just a pair of top 15 finishes in the next 15 races. Ragan had very little luck at Texas having problems in both races finishing outside the top 30 in both with an average finish 38th place. While Ragan has shown tremendous improvement this season it would be a risky move to grab him for this race.

Much like Ryan Newman has struggled at Texas even though he has posted a win at the track the same goes for Greg Biffle. Biffle rebounded nicely at Martinsville salvaging a 20th place finish after a very rough day. He dropped a spot in the point standings to 3rd place but he could take a bigger hit this weekend. In eight career starts at Texas Biffle has a win and a 6th place run but in the other six events he has failed to finish better than 20th place with an average finish of 25th place. He has been up-and-down at Texas – we recommend staying away from the #16 Dish Network Ford.

profantasysports.com

Samsung 500 Preview

Jeff Burton holds down the lead in the Sprint Cup Series standings as he and his fellow drivers head to Texas Motor Speedway for this weekend's running of the Samsung 500.

Burton picked up a third-place result in last Sunday's Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway, which boosted him three spots into first place in the current driver standings. Burton has one win, three Top-5 results, and four Top 10s in six races.

Denny Hamlin visited victory lane at Martinsville, as the Toyota driver held off Jeff Gordon for the win. Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart finished behind Burton to round out the day's Top 5, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards, and Clint Bowyer also wound up with Top-10 results in the Cool Orange 500.

David Ragan and Kevin Harvick ended up just behind those drivers in 11th and 12th place, respectively, while Kasey Kahne had to settle for a 17th-place finish. Ryan Newman was 19th at Martinsville, Greg Biffle was 20th, and Martin Truex Jr. was 21st. Matt Kenseth ended up in 30th, Kurt Busch ended up 33rd, and Kyle Busch fell to 38th.

That result by Kyle Busch dropped him four spots to fifth place in the driver standings, where he now trails Burton, Harvick, Biffle, and Earnhardt Jr. Stewart, Kahne, Hamlin, Gordon, Johnson, Newman, and Bowyer make up the rest of the Top 12 after six races. Kenseth fell four spots to 15th place, and Kurt Busch dropped six spots to now sit 16th.

Burton won the Samsung 500 last year (with Kenseth, Mark Martin, Gordon, and McMurray rounding out the Top 5), and he also won the Interstate Batteries 500 at Texas Motor Speedway back in 1997. Johnson won the Dickies 500 on that track in 2007, while Stewart and Kahne took checkered flags in the Texas races held in 2006.

Edwards and Biffle won events at Texas in 2005. Other drivers with career victories at the Fort Worth track include Elliott Sadler, Newman, Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr., and Martin.

After racing in the Samsung 500 the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will head to Phoenix for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. April's schedule then ends with the Aaron's 499.

Driver Highlights - Texas
VegasInsider.com

Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Texas Motor Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last six races at Texas. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) 25/1

One top five, seven top 10s
Average finish of 12.0
Average Running Position of 13.1, eighth-best
Driver Rating of 98.0, fifth-best
87 Fastest Laps Run, tied for eighth-most
343 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
1,464 (72.9%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
222 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) 7/1

One win, three top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 12.9
Average Running Position of 10.4, third-best
Driver Rating of 97.2, sixth-best
89 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
331 Green Flag Passes
1,706 (84.9%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
Series-high 229 Quality Passes

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) 7/1

One win
Average finish of 18.2
Driver Rating of 88.7, 10th-best
87 Fastest Laps Run, tied for eighth-most
365 Green Flag Passes, third-most
1,310 (65.2%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
176 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) 9/1

Five top fives, seven top 10s
Average finish of 15.2
Average Running Position of 12.1, seventh-best
Driver Rating of 93.3, eighth-best
90 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
1,295 (64.5%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
170 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) 12/1

One top five, four top 10s
Average finish of 11.8
Average Running Position of 11.4, sixth-best
Driver Rating of 100.1, fourth-best
64 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
1,221 (72.9%) Laps in the Top 15, tied for fifth-best percentage
175 Quality Passes for an average of 35.0 per race, fifth-best average

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) 10/1

One win, four top fives, seven top 10s
Average finish of 9.2
Average Running Position of 10.4, fourth-best
Driver Rating of 104.1, second-best
103 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
1,528 (76.1%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
191 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) 12/1

One win, five top fives, six top 10s
Average finish of 10.3
Average Running Position of 10.4, second-best
Driver Rating of 103.2, third-best
92 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
355 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
1,457 (72.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) 35/1

One top five, three top 10s
Average finish of 9.4
Average Running Position of 10.8, fifth-best
Driver Rating of 95.7, seventh-best
304 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
1,294 (77.3%) Laps in the Top 15, third-highest percentage
190 Quality Passes (38.0 per race), third-best per race figure

Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) 7/1

One win, three top fives, seven top 10s
Average finish of 13.5
Series-high Average Running Position of 7.7
Series-high Driver Rating of 109.3
Series-high 195 Fastest Laps Run
Series-high 1,786 (88.9%) Laps in the Top 15
198 Quality Passes, third-most

Samsung 500 Driver Rating

Tony Stewart tops NASCAR’s driver ratings headed into the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. He has 31 top 10s in his last 53 races at high-bank superspeedways. Included in that number is five wins, one of them coming at Texas in 2006. In 12 career starts at the track, he has three top 5s and seven top 10s. Stewart has yet to find victory lane this season, but don’t be surprised if you see the #20 Home Depot Toyota driver holding the signature cowboy boots in victory lane.

Matt Kenseth was one of a number of drivers glad to be leaving Martinsville. “Every time we made up a little ground, we kept getting wrecked, or whatever the case turned out to be,” Kenseth said. “We were so far off in the beginning and then I got spun out on pit road and pitted out of the box. That cost us a lap and it took us 200 laps to get that back, and then we really ran pretty good but we just kept getting run into. It was a long day and I’m glad it’s over. I’m ready to go to Texas.” He should be glad to go to Texas. He has four wins and 30 top 10s in 51 starts at high-bank superspeedways. He sits 3rd on this week’s driver ratings, which indicates that Kenseth is in line for a much needed top 10 finish.

Hendrick Motorsports got some of its swagger back last weekend in Martinsville. All four drivers finished in the top 10. Leading the Hendrick pack was 2nd place finisher Jeff Gordon. He’s had a lot of success at Texas Motor Speedway. "We've been close several times the past couple of years," said Gordon, who has five top-fives and seven top 10's in 14 starts at Texas. "But, whether it was an electrical problem while leading or me hitting the Turn 4 wall while leading, we haven't won. This is a very tricky track.”

profantasysports.com

Kenseth Looks for Texas Turnaround
RACINGONE.COM

FORT WORTH, Tex. - Texas Motor Speedway has been a favorite of Matt Kenseth's and the veteran driver is hoping a return to the 1.5-mile speedway this weekend will be the cure for a slow start to the 2008 season.

Kenseth finds himself 15th in the Sprint Cup Series point standings heading into Sunday's Samsung 500 with a series of disappointments to start the year.

His latest frustration came last week at Martinsville when a variety of spins and problems led to a 28th place finish in the Goody's Cool Orange 500.

Kenseth is hoping this week's stop at TMS will cure his early season woes.

“I always look forward to racing at Texas – especially after Martinsville and the troubles we had there," he said. Texas is nothing like Martinsville. It’s fast, there are several grooves and the racing is a lot of fun. So, to say the least, I’m ready to race there."

His past Texas performance no doubt has Kenseth anxious to come back to the Lone Star State.

Kenseth will make his 12th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at TMS this weekend. In 11 starts, Kenseth has posted one win, five top-five and six top-10 finishes. His average start at the 1.5-mile oval is 19.9, his average finish is 10.3.

“Texas is fast and since the pavement has aged a little bit, there are multiple grooves," Kenseth said. "You can move around a lot more – especially with the new cars. It’s more challenging and a lot of fun for the driver."

After finishing second twice last year at Texas, including losing the Samsung 500 to Jeff Burton on the final lap, Kenseth is up for the challenge of getting back to victory lane.

He'll also face the challenge of driving the new Sprint Cup car at Texas for the first time.

"I’m sure the racing will be somewhat different with the new cars," he said. "We’re bringing the car that I finished fifth with at Fontana earlier this year. I really like that car and have been happy with its performance so far. So, I’m expecting to unload and be competitive from the start. That makes it fun to come to the race track when you have that and hopefully we’ll have that this weekend.”

Driver Handicaps: Texas
RACINGONE.COM

This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday's Samsung 500. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 334-lap event.

Who's HOT at Texas

Jeff Burton is the only multiple winner.
Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin lead all drivers with five top fives each.
Jimmie Johnson holds the best average finish at 9.2.
Tony Stewart leads all drivers with 453 laps led.
Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in four of his five starts.

Keep an Eye on at Texas

2000 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will pilot the same car that finished second at Las Vegas.
Kyle Busch is the most recent winner at Atlanta, a track similar to Texas.
Texas is Martin Truex Jr's best track on the circuit based on finishing average.
2005 Fall Texas Winner Carl Edwards will be racing the same car that ran strong at Atlanta before mechanical failure.
RCR teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer will be back behind the wheel of cars that posted top 10s at Atlanta.
Greg Biffle, who won the 2005 race, has had a contending car in other Texas races only to be snake bit by bad luck.

Track Performers

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are tied for the lead with nine wins on tracks exactly 1.5-miles in length. Mark Martin and Tony Stewart are tied for second with seven wins apiece. Defending race winner Jeff Burton rounds out the top five in wins with six. Martin leads all drivers with 48 top-10 finishes, followed by Gordon with 45. Ryan Newman is the current pole leader on 1.5-mile tracks with 11. Jeff Burton and Gordon lead all drivers that have made the last nine starts on 1.5-mile tracks (2007-2008) in finishing average at 11.8 and 12.0, respectively.

Texas Rookie Report

Dario Franchitti and Regan Smith are tied in the rookie standings heading to Texas. Franchitti, Sam Hornish Jr. and Michael McDowell all made their track debut at TMS in last fall's NASCAR Nationwide Series race. McDowell had the best finish of 20th. Smith has made five NASCAR Nationwide starts at the track, with a best finish of 15th coming in his debut there in 2003. Smith and McDowell are the only rookies with a guaranteed spot in Sunday's race. The 2008 rookie class struggled at the similar Atlanta track a few weeks ago, with Hornish having the best finish of 25th there. Rookie Standings

Qualifying Tidbits

Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte are the only multiple pole winners at Texas Motor Speedway. Brian Vickers won the pole for the 2006 fall race driving the No. 25 Chevrolet, stopping Dodge's consecutive pole streak at three. Vickers broke Bill Elliott's 2002 track record with a lap of 196.235 mph. Qualifying for this event last year was rained out. Martin Truex Jr. won the pole for the fall race, which marked his first and only so far in his Sprint Cup career. Labonte leads all drivers that have started every event, with a 10.5 starting average. Matt Kenseth won the 2002 race from the 31st starting position, the furthest of any driver. Only three races have been won from outside the top 10.Past Pole Winners | Starting Positions of Texas Winners

RacingOne Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Pete Pistone: Greg Biffle
Rachael West: Tony Stewart
Kym Opalenik: Jeff Burton

Top 20 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings

1. Jeff Burton: Burton's win last spring gave his the distinction of being the only multiple winner at Texas Motor Speedway. The victory was one of six top 10s in 14 starts at the track with Richard Childress Racing. Burton led one lap in the race he won, which marked his first lap led at TMS since 2000. Burton's first eight starts at TMS came with Roush Racing. In that span he captured one win (the inaugural race in 1997) and three top 10s. This weekend Burton will pilot a brand new chassis (No. 243) in the Samsung 500.

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick broke a streak of five consecutive finishes outside the top 10 at Texas Motor Speedway by finishing fifth and third, respectively, in 2006. Last year in this event, Harvick posted his worst finish in 10 starts at TMS after finishing 29th. After bouncing back to finish 10th last fall, Harvick will look for his sixth top 10 at TMS on Sunday, driving the same car (chassis No. 238) that most recently finished seventh at Atlanta last month.

3. Greg Biffle: Biffle won the 2005 spring event at Texas Motor Speedway after leading 219 laps. The win was his first of two top 10s in eight starts at TMS. His other came last April when he finished sixth, ending a streak of three consecutive finishes of 20th or worse. In the 2006 spring race, Biffle had another contending car until his No. 16 Ford got hit from behind by Kurt Busch's No. 2 Dodge on the backstretch. Biffle was faced with more bad luck in the 2005 fall race after he was forced to pit on lap 49 when he felt a vibration in his car. After a green flag pit stop, he dropped back one lap behind the leader. Biffle was not the same after the stop, suffering a spin later in the race and coming home with a 20th-place finish. In 2004, he ran in the top-five before the engine expired in the No. 16 Ford. This weekend Biffle will debut a new car (chassis RK-76) in the Samsung 500.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Texas Motor Speedway is the site of Dale Earnhardt Jr's first Sprint Cup Series victory. The triumph was one of seven top 10s at the track. In his first two starts he combined to lead 213 of his 362 laps led at the track. Junior's last top 10 at TMS came in the 2006 fall event when he finished sixth. Last year in the spring race, Earnhardt Jr. looked like a contender to return to victory lane until he got run over by Kyle Busch in a late race skirmish that ended his day. This weekend Junior will make his Texas debut with Hendrick Motorsports driving the same car (chassis No. 488) that finished second at Las Vegas.

5. Kyle Busch: Busch's two top 10 in six starts at Texas Motor Speedway came in the last two fall events when he finished fourth in both. This weekend he will shoot for his first top 10 in the spring race when he makes his first track start in a Toyota.

6. Tony Stewart: Stewart will make his 327th career Sprint Cup start and 13th at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Stewart collected his first Cup win at Texas in the 2006 fall race. The win was his seventh, and last, top 10 at the track. Besides an 11th-place finish last fall, Stewart's remaining four finishes have been 23rd or worse, with the last one (25th) coming last April. This weekend, Stewart will be back behind the wheel of the same car (chassis No. 203) that finished seventh at California.

7. Kasey Kahne: Kahne won the 2006 spring race at Texas Motor Speedway after leading 63 laps from the pole. Kahne has started in the top five in four out of the seven races he has competed in. His starting average was best among all drivers up until last year when he qualified 34th and 25th, respectively. Outside of the win and a second-place finish, Kahne's other performances at TMS have resulted in finishes of 18th or worse.

8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin's finishing average at Texas Motor Speedway took a hit last fall when he came home 29th. The finish was his first outside the top 10 in five starts. In that race Hamlin led 45 laps and battled for the lead before making contact with the outside wall. On Sunday Hamlin will be driving the same car (chassis No. 189) that finished 15th in its debut at Atlanta.

9. Jeff Gordon: Texas Motor Speedway is one of two tracks on the schedule where Gordon has yet to visit victory lane. One of Gordon's closest runs to victory at TMS came in 2004 when he led 46 laps en route to a third-place finish. In that event, Gordon lost the lead after he was forced to switch to a back-up battery with 26 laps to go. Last year in this event, Gordon helped lower his finishing average to 15.2 after finishing fourth from the pole. In that event, he led 173 of his 326 laps led at the track. In the fall race he finished seventh for his third consecutive top 10.

10. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson is coming off his first win at Texas Motor Speedway after leading nine laps in the fall of 2007. Last year in this event, Johnson's Texas finishing average took a hit, dropping to 9.2, after a crash took him out of contention. His 38th-place finish was his only DNF and only finish outside the top 12 in nine starts at TMS. Johnson, who has finished in the top 10 seven times at Texas, will be driving the same car (chassis No. 465) that finished second at California.

11. Ryan Newman: Outside of a win in the 2003 event and a fifth-place run last fall, Texas Motor Speedway has not been kind to Newman. His lone victory boosted his finishing average to 25.8, the worst among all drivers that have at least one victory. He earned his first pole at TMS in the 2005 spring event and led one of his 80 laps at the 1.5-mile speedway, but finished 16th. He went on to win the pole for the fall event but went to a back-up car after crashing on his second qualifying lap. This weekend Newman will race a brand new car (chassis PRS-558) in the Samsung 500.

12. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer has competed in four Sprint Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway with his best finish, of fifth, coming in the fall of 2006. That finish is Bowyer's only inside the top 15, giving him an overall average finish of 14.8. This weekend he will be driving the same car (chassis No. 237) that finished sixth at Atlanta last month.

13. Martin Truex Jr: Texas Motor Speedway is Truex Jr's best track on the circuit based on his 9.4 finishing average. In five starts, Truex has posted three top 10s and has yet to finish outside the top 15.

14. Carl Edwards: Edwards has one victory at Texas Motor Speedway, which came in the 2005 fall event. In that race, he took on fresh tires during a pit stop with 15 to go and charged through the field after restarting sixth, en route to his fourth of nine Sprint Cup victories. In the 2006 spring race, Edwards looked strong again, leading 50 laps, until an accident charged him with his first, and only, DNF at the track. Since then, Edwards has yet to lead a lap at TMS and has posted an average finish of 17.7 in the three races. This weekend's chassis (No. 570) is the same car that led 33 laps at Atlanta before the engine expired.

15. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has recorded an average finish of 4.2 in his last five starts at Texas Motor Speedway. Four of the finishes marked his first top fives at the track since winning the 2002 event. In 2005, Kenseth dominated the 334-lap fall race by leading 149 laps from his best Texas qualifying effort of third. Kenseth will pilot the same car (chassis RK-550) that finished fifth at California.

16. Kurt Busch: Texas Motor Speedway is Busch's best 1.5-mile track on the circuit based on his 12.0 finishing average. Busch is coming off his seventh top 10 at TMS after finishing eighth last fall. The 2006 spring race marked his first race at Texas with Penske. He finished 34th in that event, one day after winning his first Busch race with the team. Last year in this event, Busch had an interesting race this spring after he started the race in a back-up car and without crew chief Roy McCauley. He led 42 laps in that race before falling back to the last car on the lead lap when the leaders pitted under caution and was able to go on to an 11th-place finish. This weekend, Busch will take to the track in a brand new car (chassis PSC-557) in the Samsung 500.

17. Juan Pablo Montoya: Texas Motor Speedway is Montoya's best 1.5-mile track that he has made two or more starts at based on his 16.5 average finish. Last April, Montoya began the day 16th and stayed near the front most of the day and overcame a pit road miscue to finish eighth in his first Cup start at TMS. This weekend he will pilot that same chassis (No. 744) that finished 19th at Las Vegas after being brought out as a backup.

18. Brian Vickers: Vickers has yet to finish in the top 10 at Texas Motor Speedway in seven starts. Last year he finished 14th and 23rd, respectively, in his first two track starts with Red Bull Racing.

19. David Ragan: Ragan has posted a 38.0 average finish in his two starts at Texas Motor Speedway. Last year he finished 37th after a crash took him out of contention. Ragan's luck has been much better in the Nationwide and Truck Series at TMS where he has combined to post three top-10 finishes. This weekend Ragan will shoot for a decent finish at Texas driving the same car (chassis No. RK-561) that finished seventh at Las Vegas.

20. Elliott Sadler: Sadler has competed in three races at Texas Motor Speedway with his current team, Gillett-Evernham Motorsports. Sadler's best finish with the team came last fall when he came home 12th. Prior to GEM, Sadler ran nine races with the Woods Brothers and Yates Racing. Two of his three top 10s came with Yates, including a win in this event in 2004.

Crash overshadows Earnhardt Jr. pole win
Fri 4th, April 2008

Fort Worth, TX (Sports Network) - Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. captured the pole for Sunday afternoon's Samsung 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway, but it was a spectacular crash involving Michael McDowell that everyone was talking about.

Early in the qualifying session McDowell slammed the wall in turn 1 at nearly 200 m.p.h., barrel rolled about seven times and finally came to a halt near the inside wall. With the SAFER barrier and the COT, the rookie managed to walk away with no apparent injuries. It was a testament to NASCAR's work in improving safety for the driver.

"Something just didn't feel right...then I got down in there (turn 1) and it just started to pull right on me," said McDowell after visiting the infield care center. "Thank the guys back at the shop, they make these cars extremely safe and take the time to pad everything up. For me to walk away from that wreck right there, is unbelievable."

After an hour-long delay to repair the barrier, the No.88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver circled the 1.5-mile. tri-oval in 28.286 seconds (190.907 m.p.h.) to grab the pole from Carl Edwards.

The pole victory was Earnhardt Jr.'s first of the season, second at TMS (also won the pole here in 2001) and eighth of his Sprint Cup career.

"I have to give a lot of credit to the team for building cars that can do things like that," said Earnhardt Jr. "They just build fast cars and that's so much fun for me."

Starting alongside "Junior" will be Edwards' No.99 Ford which posted a time of 28.498 seconds.

Row two will consist of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driven by Kyle Busch (28.561) and 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman (28.565) in the No.12 Penske Racing Dodge.

Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Jimmie Johnson (fifth), Matt Kenseth (eighth), Kasey Kahne (10th), Juan Pablo Montoya (11th), Jeff Gordon (18th), Kevin Harvick (21st), Tony Stewart (24th) and Jeff Burton (35th).

After two weeks of bumping and banging on the short tracks at Bristol and Martinsville, the high-speed Texas Motor Speedway is this weekend's destination.

Where last week Gordon finished second despite smashing the front nose of his car in an early race incident, this week the idea is to keep the nose and fenders completely clean. Aerodynamics are of utmost importance at a track where qualifying speeds are around 190 m.p.h.

Burton, already a winner this year, is the defending champion. The No.31 Richard Childress Racing driver and current series points leader won at Bristol. Burton has finished no lower than 13th (Daytona) in any race this season and his third-place finish last week coupled with Busch's problems gave the Virginia native the top spot in the standings.

The race is scheduled to drop the green flag on Sunday at 2 p.m. (et).

Franchitti goes home as car owner blasts team over poor performance
April 5, 2008

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -Chip Ganassi wasn't pleased with his NASCAR teams long before Dario Franchitti failed to qualify for Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Just how unhappy the car owner actually is became clear Saturday when he unleashed a blistering indictment of his team's performance so far this season.

``Frankly, there are 46 cars there and if you can't beat three of them, that's pretty pathetic,'' Ganassi said on Sirius Satellite Radio. ``I certainly have all the faith in the world in (Franchitti's) driving abilities. I don't think it's that. The fact of the matter is, we didn't give him a car that was capable of doing it.''

Franchitti has struggled in his move from the IndyRacing League, where he won the Indianapolis 500 and series championship last year, to NASCAR and came into Texas outside the top 35 in points and needing to qualify for the race on speed. Missing Sunday's event will drop him deeper into the hole as he heads next week into Phoenix, where he didn't have a great test session earlier this season.

Asked what the team can do to turn things around, Ganassi questioned whether his three crews are even working together to build a solid organization.

``When you say `this team' you hit the nail on the head - we're not working as a team,'' Ganassi said. ``You can't have guys that are fast and guys that are slow. It doesn't make any sense. These guys, these teams are not talking to each other, they are not working together, they are not using all the resources that are available to them. That's how you end up in a fix like this.''

Juan Pablo Montoya is currently the highest ranked Ganassi driver at 17th, followed by Reed Sorenson in 26th and Franchitti in 37th.

Although he praised the work Montoya and his No. 42 crew has done to rebound from a slow start to the season, Ganassi was particularly upset with the performance of Sorenson's No. 41 team. The third-year driver has four finishes of 31st or worse.

``The 41 team, it's the same old things that take them out,'' he said. ``One week its this, the next week it's that, and it's sort of this combination of all of the above. Everybody on the 41 team is going to have to take a good look in the mirror and ask themselves if they are prepared for what's coming down the pike.''

Ganassi, who was in St. Petersburg, Fla., with his IRL teams, said later Saturday he won't hesitate to make personnel changes if that's what it will take to get his teams turned in the right direction.

``It's a tough sport, a tough damn business and we really are a better organization than this,'' he said. ``We know the issues, we know how to make cars go fast, and for some reason, we just don't do it. This goes back to people and procedures and policies that people are going to have to adopt. People can't just keep doing it the old-school way.''

TRACK REPAIR: Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage was sitting in his office high above the track outside Turn 1 during qualifying Friday when he felt the impact of rookie Michael McDowell's crash into the wall.

``That was a horrifying crash,'' he said. ``It's wonderful that he walked away. I was sitting in my office and everything on my desk moved when the impact happened. Thank goodness (the SAFER barrier) was there.''

McDowell's crash tore out a section of the wall that was temporarily fixed so that qualifying could resume a little more than an hour after the accident. Gossage said track officials later spent three hours replacing a 28-foot stretch of the SAFER barrier. The piece weighed 12,000 lbs. and took 10 workers to install.

Gossage said the section cost $7,500, and the total cost of repair was closer to $20,000.

``Of course, the money isn't a factor at all,'' Gossage said. ``We're just thankful the wall worked and Michael is OK.''

MOVING UP FRONT: The garage is organized by point standings, but the lineup is set by last season's points through the first five races of the year. That meant no matter how strong Kyle Busch was running, his team was still stuck in the back of the garage.

That changed last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, the first track the garage was organized by current standings. So Busch's No. 18 team leapfrogged to the front for the first time in several years.

Busch is in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing's original car, and the team suffered through several lean seasons before his arrival.

``I can't tell you how much it meant to my guys to be on this side of the garage and working with the leaders in this sport,'' crew chief Steve Addington said. ``To be side-by-side with the good teams, and have guys like Chad Knaus come up and say `You guys are doing a really great job this year,' it just meant so much to our team.

``We work hard and it feels good to be recognized for it. We're all just having a great time right now with it.''

Busch had a red-hot start to the season, scoring Toyota's first Sprint Cup Series win at Atlanta while leading the points standings for three weeks. He heads into Sunday's race ranked fifth after a broken rear gear last week in Martinsville led to a 38th place finish.

He starts third in Sunday's Cup race, and scored his first Nationwide Series victory of the season on Saturday.

NO FILL-IN THIS TIME: This won't be the first time Dale Earnhardt Jr. has driven a Hendrick Motorsports car in a Sprint Cup race at Texas.

Earnhardt, who will start his No. 88 Hendrick Chevrolet from the pole Sunday, drove the final nine laps of the Samsung 500 last April in the repaired No. 5 car after the Hendrick crew was unable to find driver Kyle Busch and asked Junior to jump into the seat.

``When that happened, I was daydreaming of the early '80s when it used to happen all the time. And I guess some people either weren't around or don't remember how that used to be, but it was pretty neat,'' Earnhardt said. ``You didn't have the manufacturer conflicts and the sponsor conflicts and guys would just go from car to car. The good old days.''

The irony then was that Earnhardt's No. 8 DEI entry was hit from behind by Busch when Earnhardt hit the brakes trying to avoid a spinning Tony Stewart late in the race.

Earnhardt made several pit stops to try to repair the damage during the subsequent caution, but parked the car soon after the restart. Repairs were made on Busch's car, but when the crew was finished, Busch was gone because he thought they were done for the day.

Ironic now is that Earnhardt is in his first season for Hendrick. Busch is now with Joe Gibbs Racing, on the same team with Stewart.

``We haven't even won a race yet and I feel pretty good about where I'm at,'' said Earnhardt, who has five top-10 finishes in six races for Hendrick.

Samsung 500: Back Edwards Again
by: Brian Gabrielle

Last Week: Another great week, as we both picked the winner (Denny Hamlin, at +500) and won our head-to-head match-up (Jimmie Johnson squeaked by Dale Earnhardt Jr. at -135) at Martinsville. In six races this season, we've given you six winning weeks. Last week, on 1.5 units wagered, we profited 1.24 units, a return of 87.2%. For the season, on 8 units wagered, we've netted a positive 4.99 units, a return of 62.4%. (Note that if you'd eschewed the relatively conservative betting pattern we outline below, and simply bet one unit per wager we recommend, last week you'd have made 3.74 units on 4 units wagered, a return of 93.5%; for the season, that would give you a profit of 19.37 units on 23 units wagered, a return of 84.2%. But there's clearly a bit more risk associated with that strategy.)

(All straight-up and head-to-head odds are from World Sports Exchange.)

Take Carl Edwards (+450), 1/6th unit. Edwards is my heavy favorite this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. He dominated the Car of Tomorrow races at the downforce tracks in Fontana and Las Vegas in the season's first month, and he would've won at Atlanta if he hadn't blown his transmission from the lead. His COT program on the high-banked intermediate speedways is second to none right now, and he won a race at TMS back in 2005. Considering Atlanta and Texas are so similarly configured, I expect the No. 98 to be the day's strongest car.

Take Kyle Busch (+700), 1/6th unit. The Younger Busch was the day's second-best car in Atlanta last month, and wound up winning the race when Edwards blew his engine. The Shrub was also fourth at Fontana and a respectable 11th at Las Vegas; the new advantages the Toyotas seem to have in horsepower have served Busch very well. He qualified fourth for Sunday's event (Edwards qualified second), so you'd have to think he's got enough speed to at least be hanging around again if Edwards runs into more mechanical difficulties.

Take Greg Biffle (+1100), 1/6th unit. I was set to take Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+550) in this spot, because he was a very strong third in Atlanta just a few weeks ago, but then he had to go out and win the pole on Friday afternoon. That pushed his odds down to near-favorite levels, so I'm going to give him a pass and find some better value on the board. Biffle represents that value. He won here in '05, too, and finished third at Vegas and fourth at Atlanta in the last month. The Biff likes a loose racecar, and the COT does tend to get loose at places like this. He's a championship contender this year, and with a little luck, he could give us a great big profit on Sunday.

spreadexperts.com

Trading Paint: Samsung 500 picks

Welcome to Trading Paint, a weekly entry where a statewide panel of four auto racing "experts" will make picks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. This week: Sunday's Samsung 500 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The rules are simple:
1. A panelist can't pick the same driver in back-to-back weeks.
2. Standings will be calculated each week based on the actual points earned by the drivers each panelist picks to win.

After six weeks, the standings are as follows, with their pick of last week's winner in parentheses:

1. Steve Kaminski (Denny Hamlin) -- 945
2. Jeff Bleiler (Jeff Gordon) -- 871
3. Mike Pryson (Jimmie Johnson) -- 826
4. Antoine Pitts (Jeff Gordon) -- 807

Jeff Bleiler -- Jackson Citizen Patriot

I have to admit, I chuckled a bit (OK, a lot) when I saw Kaminski pick Denny Hamlin to win at Hendrick Motor Speedway, er, Martinsville Speedway last week. I figured a Hendrick guy (especially the one I picked, Jeff Gordon) was a lock and I'd make up huge ground on our friend from Grand Rapids. Alas, he was right. Hamlin wins with Gordon second. I tip my hat to him ... for the first and last time this season.

• Winner -- Jeff Burton. He's leading the points race and has finished first, sixth and sixth in his last three starts at Texas. I'll take it.

• Sleeper -- Jimmie Johnson. Hard to believe Johnson's a sleeper pick, but with the way this season's gone for him he can't be anything but right now. He did have a solid showing last week and won at Texas a year ago (where didn't he win last year, though?), so maybe ...

• No chance -- Chad McCumbee. OK, so I'm not really going out on a limb with this one. The youngster is filling in for Kyle Petty and has just one top-five finish in his last 50 starts ... in the truck series. Look for a finish of 35th or worse this weekend.

Steve Kaminski -- The Grand Rapids Press

Kyle Busch dropped from first to fifth in the point standings after last weekend's disaster at Martinsville, wiping out the brilliant start he had to the season's start.

Busch has to demonstrate a little maturity so his season doesn't start to unravel. He's the driver to watch this weekend.

• Winner -- Carl Edwards. The only driver with two wins this year, becomes the first to win three.

• Sleeper -- Jamie McMurray. I like the Roush-Fenway guys at this track, and McMurray has five top-10 finishes in eight Texas starts.

• No chance -- Jeff Gordon is winless in 13 Texas starts, and that streak will continue.
AP PhotoGreg Biffle has his sights set on his first victory of the season.

Antoine Pitts -- The Ann Arbor News

Time to start heading back out west, folks. First Texas, than Phoenix. It's also time for me to get serious and start gaining some points on all of you.

• Winner -- Greg Biffle. Great season so far, he's due for a win.

• Sleeper -- Matt Kenseth. Maybe he can avoid a pass on the last lap this time.

• No chance -- Sam Hornish Jr. Had three Texas wins in an IndyCar, but this is NASCAR.

Mike Pryson -- Jackson Citizen Patriot

This is one tough competition. Any time my driver (Jimmie Johnson) finishes fourth and I lose ground, it makes me think I might have bitten off more than I can chew. Oh well, I'm on spring break and I'm ready to start fresh.

• Winner -- Kurt Busch. Busch has been a lot more consistent than I've been this season. He finished second at Daytona, which was the only other time I picked him. One would think I'd be smart enough to ride that horse one more time.

• Sleeper -- Denny Hamlin. After Kaminski pulled Hamlin out of his hat last week and came up a winner, I should probably take note. This guy is good, and he might just be on a roll.

• No chance -- Kyle Busch. It's starting to look like his star is beginning to fall. Expect the rest of the field to keep gaining on him. This season, no one will run away with the points.

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